This morning I sat with Dr. Doug a Pediatrician from Davis as he worked in a Pediatric AIDS Clinic.
The first child - Kirby - seven years old - He's HIV positive and has just contracted pneumonia. I played with him while the Dr. explained things to the father about the pneumonia medication.
Second child - Danny - 10 years old - came in with his mom to have the results of his HIV test told to him. There was an intense moment as Dr. Doug held the results of the test in his hands - and took a deep breath before speaking...we were all on the edge of our seat. But - the result was negative - no HIV - the mom cried and cried and thanked us - we all celebrated together.
Third child - an adorable little girl - Tsion - 5 years old. She was raped 3 months ago. They are still not sure if she's contracted HIV or not. They'll test her for HIV again soon. I emotionally disconnected after this one - that was all I could take. I hung around for a while, but only until a ride showed up.
These kids, roughly the same ages as mine, are the reality.
